The next in line

It’s definitely time for a fun, topical post, and since my tradition on Thursday nights during the season is something baseball-related I thought this would be a enjoyable thing to do.

Unless you were under a rock for the last six months, you know the Chicago Cubs had the best record in baseball this season and proved why by outlasting three solid teams (San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Cleveland) to win their first National League pennant since 1945 and their first World Series in 108 years. Since none of the other major professional sports leagues existed in 1908, their stretch between championships is likely a record that won’t be broken.

But while the Cubs had generations of fans that lived and died without ever seeing their heroes hoist a World Series trophy, beating the Indians made sure Cleveland’s record of championship futility extended to 69 seasons – they have gone without a World Series title since 1948. Yet I have figured out they are not the most overdue baseball city. (Actually, as a city Chicago hadn’t gone all that long since the White Sox won it all in 2005.)

So I sat down at lunchtime and did some figuring – here are the cities that are most overdue, and the top city may surprise you.

Washington is actually the city which has gone longest without a World Series title, although perhaps they receive an asterisk because there was no team there for over three decades. The first version of the Senators won it all in 1924, lost the World Series in 1925 and 1933, then went decades in futility (Washington was “first in war, first in peace, last in the American League”) before the team moved to Minnesota after the 1960 season. The expansion team they received (also called the Senators) lasted from 1961 to 1971 before that franchise left for the greener pastures of Texas to become the modern-day Rangers. A 34-year hiatus ensued before the Nationals were moved from Montreal in 2005, but they haven’t won a pennant – let alone a World Series.

Cleveland has the next longest losing streak, going since 1948. Here is the list of the major league cities, from way overdue to the most recent.

  • Washington (1924 – Senators 1 until 1960, Senators 2 1961-71, and Nationals since 2005)
  • Cleveland (1948 – Indians)
  • Milwaukee (1957 – Braves until 1966, Brewers* since 1970)
  • Houston (1962 – Colt .45s/Astros*)
  • San Diego (1969 – Padres*)
  • Seattle (1969 – Pilots* for 1969 season, Mariners* since 1977)
  • Dallas (1972 – Texas Rangers*)
  • Pittsburgh (1979 – Pirates)
  • Baltimore (1983 – Orioles)
  • Detroit (1984 – Tigers)
  • Los Angeles (1988 – Dodgers)
  • Oakland (1989 – Athletics)
  • Cincinnati (1990 – Reds)
  • Minneapolis (1991 – Minnesota Twins)
  • Denver (1993 – Colorado Rockies*)
  • Toronto (1993 – Blue Jays)
  • Atlanta (1995 – Braves)
  • Tampa (1998 – Devil Rays/Rays*)
  • Phoenix (2001 – Arizona Damondbacks)
  • Anaheim (2002 – Angels)
  • Miami (2003 – Marlins)
  • Philadelphia (2008 – Phillies)
  • New York (2009 – Yankees – Mets since 1986)
  • St. Louis (2011 – Cardinals)
  • Boston (2013 – Red Sox)
  • San Francisco (2014 – Giants)
  • Kansas City (2015 – Royals)
  • Chicago (2016 – Cubs – White Sox since 2005)

Teams demoted with an asterisk (*) are still looking for their first World Series title.

There should be an honorable mention for Montreal (which would slot in with the Padres and Pilots from 1969) who did not win a title in their 1969-2004 Montreal run and for Brooklyn, which lost the Dodgers after the 1957 season but last won the World Series in 1955.

Of the most overdue teams, Washington has a legitimate shot at ending their streak next season as they were a playoff team this season. Obviously Cleveland looks like a contender as well. (Just as an aside, for all the talk about the AL East being a good division, the Central division has sent four of the last five AL champs to the World Series – Cleveland this year, Kansas City in 2014 and 2015, and Detroit in 2012.) Milwaukee has an up-and-coming young team that should contend with the Cubs in the next few seasons, while Houston has made some noise in the playoffs recently, too. Only San Diego in the top 5 seems to be stuck in mediocrity.

All right, you’ll get political stuff again tomorrow and Sunday, although I have a music review set for Saturday. I just had to have some fun expanding a Facebook post I did in the wake of Chicago’s victory last night.